


Fancyfeet And El Guapo - Of Sailing Trips And Wandering Hearts

by Camelot836



Category: Elena of Avalor (Cartoon)
Genre: Carla as Royal Matchmaker, Chancellor Naomi Turner, F/M, Mistletoe, Navidad, Sailing, minor mentions of Eleteo, one-sided Gabelena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28406349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camelot836/pseuds/Camelot836
Summary: My first big Gabaomi story. I am not really sure about the correct in-character speech patterns for them, yet. But I am happy with the setting and inner monologues of the story.-After an exhausting week busy with Navidad preparations as Chancellor and festival planner, Naomi is coaxed into a relaxing sailing trip by Gabe. The secluded journey leads to some surprising insight about Gabe's unintended time as El Guapo and his past feeling for Elena.
Relationships: Elena Castillo Flores/Gabriel "Gabe" Núñez, Gabriel "Gabe" Núñez/Naomi Turner, Mateo de Alva/Elena Castillo Flores
Kudos: 13





	Fancyfeet And El Guapo - Of Sailing Trips And Wandering Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Naomi's switching between christmas and navidad depend on wether she feels like using Common (English) or Avaloran (Spanish) at the moment. Having been so young when she left Norberg, she never really picked up more than a few words of Norbergian.

Naomi took a deep breath, letting the salty air linger to soothe her stressed nerves. The sea still worked like a charm.

After two weeks of constant meetings with diplomats and planning for Christmas it felt wonderful to feel the gentle rise and fall of wooden planks under her feet again.

When she accepted Elena's offer to be the next Chancellor, she knew she was up for the challenge. And a challenge it was. The Queen's idea to link the coming Royal Navidad Ball with official meetings with the guests from neighboring kingdoms who were arriving anyway, just so the new Chancellor had a shorter journey, had seemed like a practical idea at the time. But no matter how pretty her new dresses for the job were, after seven days in a corset to attend one diplomat ball after the other, Chancellor Naomi Turner was overdue for a break, even if she did not want to see it herself. All the work had put her in the same state as Elena right before her Coronation. She wanted to prove herself, too deep in to notice her exhaustion.

* * *

The tables had turned when she had stumbled home to the new apartment in the palace she shared with Gabe at three in the morning after a tedious meeting to find him waiting for her, his arms crossed and eyes blazing with a glare that could frighten any young private who did not know the general's big heart.

"This is getting ridiculous Naomi! You need a break."

Naomi stepped closer, stubbornly ignoring the wobbling of her tired legs.

"You know I can't! There is only three days left until Noche Buena! I still need to..."

"You need to take a break! That's an order, Miss Turner!"

Naomi whipped her head around, staring at him sharply. As Chancellor and Captain she was not used to being interrupted.

"You cannot order me around!"

The corner of Gabe's lips rose in the beginnings of a smirk.

"Oh yes, I can. I am in command of the army."

Naomi felt her own smile grow at the challenge.

"And I am second-in-command of the kingdom! So I outrank you!"

The banter was starting to lift her mood as she took another step, intent on stabbing a finger in his chest to drive her point home.

But she miscalculated both the strength of her sore legs and the height of her heels and stumbled, unusually slow in catching herself.

Instead of the ground Naomi felt the softer, warmer impact of her upper body on her original destination as she collided with Gabe's chest, his arms wrapping around her instinctively.

"That's it, fancyfeet! We are going sailing tomorrow and that's final!"

Naomi felt another wave of protest rise within her as she glanced up.

The worry and compassion shining in Gabe's eyes finally broke through the wall of her stubbornness where his earlier relentless approach could not.

"I know you can look after yourself. You just forget it sometimes."

He took her hand, pulling her back on his feet.

"I am just worried for you..."

Naomi did not let go of his hand, even after she was on relative stable feet again.

"You are right ... Thank you."

He gestured over to the bed.

"Get over there, you need your sleep."

She searched his eyes for hints of mischief or flirtation but could find only love and content.

They were shining with adoration, the color of caramel...

The comfortable silence was broken by the loud grumbling of her stomach.

When was the last time she had eaten?

Gabe grinned back at her knowingly.

"Midnight snack?"

Naomi glanced back with a sheepish smile.

"Caramel biscuits sound delicious!"

* * *

The sweet smell of caramel was replaced by the salty smell of the sea as Naomi found herself on her ship with Gabe the next day. The water was calm as they floated off the shore, away from the busy harbor and their duties.

Gabe had even gone the extra mile and dressed up for the occasion. As much as she liked his uniform, Naomi appreciated the new look of the short-sleeved white shirt and blue sailor trousers, the casual atmosphere completed by the neckerchief he had slung around his neck.

Even if she was not impartial, Naomi believed she had never seen a more handsome man.

The General was hopeless when it came to sailing, so Naomi was more than happy to give instructions. Watching the muscles under his bronze skin tighten as he pulled up the main sail was a nice bonus, too.

Gabe did not notice her gaze as he pulled on a rope, looking up at the giant white cloth with suspicion.

"Are you sure I am doing this right?"

Maybe it was all the time spent away in different countries only speaking Common at the busy international ports that had lead to Naomi's new appreciation of the native language of her home.

Or just the fact that she felt so comfortable around Gabe that she adopted his mother tongue after some lessons.

Whatever the reason, the Avaloran word to voice her appreciation slipped over her tongue without thinking.

"Es perfecto, guapo."

There was a rush of noise and air as Gabe let go of the rope in shock.

Naomi jumped forward, years of sailing and instinctual moves the only thing keeping them from getting buried under a pile of wood, metal and heavy cloth as she hurried to catch the leaderless rope.

Gabe shook himself out of his stupor to wordlessly pull the rope back alongside her strong grip.

They did not speak and Gabe was fine with that. He loathed to think back on the horrible behavior the ghost in a magical sword forced him to show that day. Naomi was just as glad for the silence and the familiar comfort of busy hands on a ship.

But it did not last and all too soon the sail was secure again by their team effort.

Panting heavily from shock and adrenaline, they stared at each other in silence.

Until they broke it at the same time in an impulsive shout.

"Sorry!"

Then it was uncomfortably silent again.

Naomi's eyes roamed just to keep away from Gabe a bit longer when they caught sight of an unfamiliar splash of green and white in the brown and yellow wood surrounding them.

„Is that… mistletoe?“

Who had put a poisonous plant on a cargo ship?

It had certainly not been Gabe, judging by his surprised look as she pointed in the direction of the cabin door.

Walking closer to inspect the plant, Gabe raised his concerns, mind racing for any possible intruder.

„I am sure this was not here when we left.“

Naomi smirked at him, more than ready to change the subject they had been nearly about to confront, all worries pushed to the back of her mind for the moment.

„We are definately alone with this mistletoe.“

She raised her eyebrow in a challange.

„Well. Isn't there a certain Navidad tradition in this situation?“

Gabe took a step closer until they were directly under the festive plant.

„Well. I am the last one in the way of Navidad traditions …“

Just as eager to stall any discussion of the unfprtunate Guapo incident, Gabe closed the remaining distance between them.

Just as countless times before, their lips fit together like two parts of a puzzle, completing each other in rhythmn and pace.

Then they continued to honor the tradition, both prefering kisses to facing the unvoiced, uncomfortable memories.

This state of romantic pleasure continued until they ended up cuddling, wrapped up in each other's arms and leaning against the outer wall of the cabin. Standing in the light of the setting sun, Naomi felt content as her head rested on the sturdy cloth of Gabe's shirt.

But the temporary physical distraction did not stop the mind for long.

Gabe felt himself getting lost in the freckles of Naomi's rosy cheeks and his deep thoughts.

The trigger word from her mouth had lifted a curtain that had hung over the pushed back memories of that day.

She had been up in the royal lodge with Elena and Mateo - the Crown Princess suspiciously close to her Royal Wizard, now that he thought about it - cheering him on. He had been so self-absorbed with Guapo's ghost but he had heard Naomi nonetheless.

_"Doesn't guapo mean handsome? Well, he does have a point!"_

The memory hit him like the sail nearly did, had it not been for Naomi's intervention.

_His golden guardian angel._

Brow furrowing in concentration, Gabe took the challenge, facing the confrontation with his emotions head-on. She was worth that fight.

"Guapo... You've called me that before, haven't you?"

Naomi raised her head to look up, biting her lip nervously.

Trying to keep her words vague.

„Yeah … I have. And I did NOT like what I saw.“

Gabe rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. It had not been his mind that had acted so overly manly that there must have been a time his father would have been proud. But it had been his body and everyone had seen the rose he had presented to Elena. He felt his cheeks blazing . What a fool he had been! Naomi had loved him even then. And he had serenaded Elena like a lovesick Don Juan.

„I can imagine… You must have been ashamed of what a jerk I was…“

Naomi chuckled, so caught up in the memory of Guapo's outright rediculus, over-the-top macho behaviour to notice how much she actually revealed to Gabe.

"I wasn't the only one! Mateo wasn't happy about your advances either. It’s not that he noticed that I saw it. Or Elena for that matter. You know how they were. I never thought I’d say this, but thank Carla THAT problem is finally solved!”

Gabe raised his head and eyebrow.

"So that's why he was so edgy..."

Naomi scoffed in disbelief.

"Edgy? Mateo?"

Gabe chuckled.

"Yeah! I went to his workshop to get an antidote and he actually threw me out! Told "us two to take it outside"!"

Naomi smirked. She could clearly imagine it now after the unsure and incredulous look in the Royal Wizard's eyes as she had voiced her opinion on Gabe's handsomeness and his silent disapproval when their possessed friend had given Elena a rose which she promptly threw to his feet.

Reliving the memory, the old feeling of threat and fear rose in her, far stronger than it had been three years ago. She had not been fully aware of her own feelings for Gabe going deeper than a teenage attraction then. But she and Mateo had definitely been aware of Gabe's feelings for Elena.

"If you think that it took Carla Delgado to get Elena to realize her own emotions..."

It made her feel anxious all over again as she stroked the cool stones on her choker, deliberately trying to sound casual.

"Do you think Elena noticed you? She threw that rose back to your feet."

Gabe spluttered, turning his body away as he tried to maintain her gaze, eyes as wide and blue as the endless sea and sky around them.

He was cornered and there were only two options: trying to redirect the coming verbal blade or ducking out of the way to counterattack.

Survival instinct chose the latter option.

"I was controlled by the ghost of an egocentric super-soldier!"

Naomi's eyes shone with hurt until it turned into a bittersweet glow.

"You don't need to defend yourself... I know there has been a time when you loved her."

For the second time on their trip, one trigger word from Naomi's lips tilted his worldview upside-down.

_Love..._

That was it. The blade had opened an old wound. That left only one possible strategy left. Duck out of further harm's way and keep going to get out alive.

Gabe's eyes darted about nervously before they settled on Naomi's, a flash of insecurity blazing from behind her strong facade.

Taking a leap of faith, he took her hand in his, their slightly colder temperature being the only obvious sign of her nervousness.

„I know. It surely felt like that to me. But Elena … It was a crush of a first-year lieutenant on his crown princess.“

A rueful chuckle escape him and Naomi felt the rocking of his chest as Gabe found a sudden interest in the crow’s nest above her head, stubbornly avoiding her searching eyes.

“A big crush, but nothing more. Not that she ever showed any interest towards any on us three. Except Mateo when she did not even see THAT for herself…”

Slowly, his eyes moved back to hers, needing the reassurance that he really said what he was feeling in that tender moment.

“I am sorry that I hurt your feelings. I soon realized that it was not romantic love. Not really.”

She was rarely speechless, but Gabe’s next word reached that goal faster than her mother’s crossbow arrows.

“I only ever truly loved you, Naomi.”

The proverbial arrow hit her straight in the heart, opening a wound she had done her best to ignore until now.

“You do?” she managed to whisper in return. The next muttered words were only meant for herself but in his close proximity Gabe was able to hear them nonetheless.

“I love Elena like a sister. But sometimes I was jealous of her for getting your attention…”

The general’s eyebrows rose up to his hairline in surprise. He was not used to talking about his emotions and years’ worth of complicated relationship shifts towards his two best female friends came rushing out at Naomi’s prodding.

“I’ve just told you. You know how hard it is for me to talk about feelings… Do I really need to say it again? Elena was a crush. I LOVE YOU!”

Having been kept inside for so long, the words rose in volume until Gabe practically shouted his confession. Thankfully there were no other boats around.

Without thinking about it, the loud voice prompted Naomi‘s brain to counterattack. Apparently she had missed banter with Esteban a bit too much in the time he had been on the run.

“How could I know!? You’ve never said it to me…”

Gabe scoffed'letting go of her to take a step back and throw his hands in the air.

Back in Norberg there had been no need for words. He simply had to show up to let Naomi know his intention of being part of her Family Day under the Norberg lights. Chloe had been a great help in this romantic gesture before he had realized the feeling of loss at Naomi's absence himself. And it had been exactly that a romantic gesture.

An action that said more than his clumsy words ever could.

And up until now he had prefered to show his affections rather than voicing them.

„I thought all the kissing was enough proof!“

Naomi narrowed her eyes and glared up at him.

Her finger had found a mind of it's own, puntuating every word with a jab to his chest.

„Proof? Oh, I'll show you proof, mister!“

Before Gabe could form a witty reply, Naomi grabbed the collar of his neckerchief, pulling herself up to her tiptoes until her lips crashed into his, effectively silencing any further bantering and worrying thoughts.

Gabe felt his overactive brain shut off as he melted into Naomi's lips, the taste of the salty sea seeming even stronger now.

When the need for air was too much they had to pull away but did not move far. Leaning their foreheads together, Naomi whispered close to his ear, the sea her only witness.

„I love you, too.“

Gabe smiled, his heart overflowing with what he now definately recognized as love for the strong woman in his arms.

„I guessed as much…“

He would never share Naomi's endless love for sailing, but this Navidad trip turned out to be the best decision for them both, even if he had talked more about his feelings than he had done in years.

He could get used to this.

* * *

Back in the palace, one certain wizard apprentice congratulated herself.

Carla had seen how stressed both Naomi and Gabe had been and after years as a thief and spy it was easy to know of Gabe's plans. Just in case, Carla had gotten some mistletoe, too.

The new teleportation spell sure came in handy.

The chancellor and general needed a push in the right direction if they were still so caught up in their duties.

And if they were caught and trapped under a mistletoe suddenly appearing before Gabe or Naomi could remove it in a misguided sense of order on a ship, Carla was more than fine with that.

Avalor's unofficial Royal Matchmaker was back in business.


End file.
